MUMBAI: As the decision to split P-North ward (Malad east and west) to form P-East ward finalises, old demands to split other bigger wards in the city like K (Andheri) and L (Kurla, Sakinaka) ward have revived. The BMC, too, is planning to redraw the boundaries of its 24 administrative wards to maintain both geographical and population balance.
The BMC is for now planning to form a new ward by splitting the P-North, which covers Malad east and west and a little part of Kandivali. The new ward will be called P East and will cover most of Malad east. The proposal will now be discussed in the group leaders meeting soon. Once approved, it will be the 25th ward in the city.
Proposed in 2017, the redrawing and splitting of administrative wards seeks to bring parity by having a minimum of eight electoral wards and a maximum of 11 in one administrative ward. There are 17 electoral wards in P North extending from Malwani in the west to Dindoshi hills in the east, covering more than 4,672 hectares and a population of 9.4 lakh, making it one of the most populated and largest wards in the city.
The proposal to reorganise various municipal administrative wards stems from a study conducted by a private firm in 2005, during the term of former BMC commissioner Johny Joseph.
The 2005 study concluded that the ward offices of Andheri K-East, K-West, Malad P-North and Dahisar R-North in the western suburbs and Kurla-L ward and Bhandup S ward had become overloaded due to a population shift in these localities. K-east the study stated is the largest ward in Mumbai. Wards K-East, K-West, P-North, R-North, L and S should be divided into two. The plan then was to create six new wards by splitting bigger wards thus increasing the total number of administrative wards to 30.
